EUROPE should follow the United States’ lead and impose sweeping sanctions on Russia, the Foreign Secretary will say in his first official visit to the US.

It follows the fatal nerve agent attack in Salisbury this year, which saw one victim 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess die after being poisoned with Novichok. British politicians have blamed Russia for the attack.

Jeremy Hunt is expected to say this week that Moscow should expect to pay a serious price for repeatedly violating international rules. He will say Europe should engage with Putin’s Russia, but be blunt about its actions.

The BBC reports that Mr Hunt will urge the EU to “ensure its sanctions against Russia are comprehensive and we truly stand shoulder to shoulder with the US”.

He will add: “That means calling out and responding to transgressions with one voice whenever they occur, from the streets of Salisbury to the fate of Crimea. Those who do not share our values need to know that there will always be a serious price to pay if red lines are crossed - whether territorial incursions, the use of banned weapons or, increasingly, cyber-attacks.”

However, in a Washington speech, Mr Hunt will admit support for democratic values cannot be taken for granted: "Expressing such resentment is an affirmation and not a rejection of the core democratic instinct that a society must work for all its citizens. The sooner we address those concerns the stronger our democracies will be."

The Communities Secretary will visit Salisbury today to speak to business owners.